Ingredients (Serves 4)

For toasted sesame tahini

• 1 cup /150 g / 5 1/4 ounces white sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the beans

• 1 cup / 200 g / 7 ounces fagioli del Purgatorio or other small beans (see Notes below)
• 3 cups / 700 ml water
• A bay leaf
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• A 1-inch / 2.5 cm piece of kombu (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the tahini sauce

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml tahini
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml water
• 4 teaspoons / 20 ml fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 roasted garlic cloves, peeled and crushed OR 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

Additionally

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• Asian pear (any variety)

Instructions

Notes

You can use another variety of beans. The cooking time will vary. Also, you can purchase the tahini, rather than make your own, and follow the recipe starting from cooking the beans.

How to make toasted sesame tahini

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat until they are tanned and fragrant. Shake the skillet often or stir the seeds with a spatula. This will take just a few minutes, so guard the seeds like a hawk: they will burn easily. Transfer the seeds to a plate and let cool completely.

Process the sesame seeds in a small food processor or blender until a thick paste forms. Add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add sea salt and process briefly to distribute. Transfer the tahini to a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

How to cook the beans

Rinse the beans then place them in a saucepan with the water, bay leaf, garlic, kombu (if using) and salt. Bring the water to a lively boil quickly, and keep it there for two minutes, then turn down the heat and let the beans simmer, covered, until they are tender. Taste them after 1 hour and estimate if/how much longer they should cook.

Let the beans cool in their broth, then remove the aromatics and discard them. Let the beans rest in their cooking broth until ready to use.

How to make tahini sauce

Rather than raw garlic, I prefer to use roasted garlic, whose flavor is more muted. As I use the oven often, it is easy for me to wrap a few unpeeled garlic cloves in foil and put them in the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the oven temperature.

Whiz all the tahini sauce ingredients until smooth. You will get more than you need for the beans, but this sauce can be used to dress roasted or steamed vegetables.

How to finish the dish

Drain the beans. (I use the bean broth in soups.) Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and stir well.

Finely dice the pear. Depending on its size, you probably won’t need it all.

For each portion, place 1/2 cup of beans in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the diced pear and stir. Drizzle one tablespoon of the tahini sauce on the top. Serve with additional tahini sauce on the side.

Add the beans and their cooking broth to the saucepan and stir. Cover, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until the beans are quite tender.

Season with salt and give it a final stir. Serve hot.

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